'Gut Wrenching': Dying Right Whale Snow Cone Facing 'Inexcusable' Suffering

The news that the entangled right whale mom called Snow Cone is experiencing "inexcusable" suffering is "gut-wrenching," whale advocates have said.

The endangered North Atlantic right whale was spotted swimming off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, by New England Aquarium scientists, emaciated and covered in lice, and apparently entangled in even more layers of fishing gear. Rescue efforts have been stalled due to the severe weather in the area.

Right whales are approaching extinction, with fewer than 350 remaining, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There may be fewer than 100 breeding females, and it is not uncommon for the species to become entangled in fishing gear.

The whale's predicament first came to light when she was spotted in March 2021, entangled in huge amounts of fishing lines.

As the long fishing rope is deeply embedded under Snow Cone's jaw, rescuers started efforts to remove it, to improve her chances of survival. They managed to remove a few feet from the rope but could not free her completely.

Snow Cone then made headlines in December 2021 when she was spotted with a "miracle" newborn calf. Due to the severity of her entanglement, researchers thought it incredibly unlikely that she could give birth, let alone nurse, but her calf has not been seen for months.

Now, New England Aquarium scientists believe Snow Cone's death is "all but certain." Heather Pettis, a research scientist at the Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, said in a press release that the "deterioration and suffering that she has experienced is inexcusable."

Whale protection advocate groups have reacted to the news, with the American Cetacean Society writing in a Facebook post that the "heartbreaking update" was "gut-wrenching."

"Her death after at least 18 months of suffering will mean the likely loss of her lineage: her first calf was killed by a boat, and her second calf has not been seen since April," the post read. "Her case magnifies the urgent need for dramatic changes to fixed gear fisheries, including accelerating the transition to ropeless or "on-demand" gear. Gut-wrenching!"

Snow Cone's situation has renewed calls for fisheries to make more effort to reduce the likelihood of this happening.

Environmental policy consultant Andrew Werthmann wrote on Twitter that the news had left him "in tears."

"There are only 336 North Atlantic right whales remaining - now another one, Snow Cone, has turned up entangled in ropes used for lobster traps. We need NOAA to step up and address this because without action right whales will go extinct in a few short years," Werthmann tweeted.

Marine mammal biologist Gina Lonati also tweeted that the news was "extremely heartbreaking."

"Snow Cone is the first #whale I ever saw actively entangled. She won't be the last if we don't start making changes, like demanding #ropeless fishing," Lonati wrote.

Some of those in the fisheries industry responded to the news. Canada's minister responsible for Fisheries and Oceans, Joyce Murray, wrote on Twitter that "so far this season, there have been no reported deaths of NARWs [North Atlantic right whales] in Canadian waters."

"We've worked with fish harvesters to implement effective protections for these whales, like dynamic closures which are triggered when North Atlantic right whales are present," Murray said in a statement posted to the platform.

On 2021, the NOAA proposed a strategy to implement ropeless fishing gear to reduce entanglements. The body is also considering other initiatives such as implementing speed restrictions on smaller fishing vessels.